Switzerland will be quietly confident of causing a stir at Euro 2020, having been drawn alongside Italy, Turkey and Wales in Group A. Reaching the knockout phase is a real possibility for the Red Crosses.
• Manager: Vladimir Petkovic
• Current FIFA World Ranking: 13th
• Best European Championship finish: Round of 16 (2016)
The Swiss recorded their best-ever European Championship finish last time around, reaching the last 16 in France. Let’s take a look at the current Switzerland roster and discuss what Petkovic’s men could achieve this year.
Goalkeepers: Yvon Mvogo (PSV), Yann Sommer (Monchengladbach), Jonas Omlin (Montpellier).
Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Dortmund), Loris Benito (Bordeaux), Eray Comert (Basel), Nico Elvedi (Monchengladbach), Jordan Lotomba (Nice), Kevin Mbabu (Wolfsburg), Becir Omeragic (Zurich), Ricardo Rodriguez (Torino), Fabian Schar (Newcastle United), Silvan Widmer (Basel).
Midfielders: Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Edimilson Fernandes (Mainz), Remo Freuler (Atalanta), Admir Mehmedi (Wolfsburg), Xherdan Shaqiri (Liverpool), Djibril Sow (Frankfurt), Ruben Vargas (Augsburg), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Denis Zakaria (Monchengladbach), Steven Zuber (Frankfurt).
Forwards: Breel Embolo (Monchengladbach), Mario Gavranovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Haris Seferovic (Benfica).
Switzerland kick off their Euro 2020 campaign on June 12, facing Wales in Baku, Azerbaijan. Four days later, Petkovic’s side come up against Italy in Rome on June 16.
The Red Crosses return to Baku for their third and final match in Group A, battling it out with Turkey on June 20.
Haris Seferovic: The Benfica striker heads into Euro 2020 on the back of a prolific 2020/21 season with Benfica, having bagged 22 goals and seven assists in 31 Liga NOS outings.
Yann Sommer, Manuel Akanji, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka all look set to play a key role for their country this summer, yet Seferovic is arguably the pick of the bunch.
Switzerland’s squad is stacked with big-name players, so they will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds this summer, especially with Turkey and Wales in Group A.
If they perform to the best of their abilities, there is no reason why Petkovic’s men can’t reach the quarter-finals.